Be Inclusive Hospitality award winners announced

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 14 October, 2025

Be Inclusive Hospitality (BIH) has announced the winners of its fourth BIH Spotlight Awards at an awards ceremony at Quaglino’s London last night.

The awards were established in 2022 to recognize and celebrate talent from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds in the hospitality, food and drink sectors.

The idea is to acknowledge achievement, while fostering opportunities to network, connect and shape the future of the industry.

Read More: Distillers One of One auction raises £2.9m for charity

Highlights included Leona De Pasquale (from Camellia and Vine) who won Wine Professional of the Year, Sherwin Acebuche (from Tarsier Southeast Asian Spirit) for Beverage Innovator of the Year and Deano Moncrieffe (from Hacha Bar) for Bar/Pub of the Year.

Hundreds of nominations were received, with finalists being judged by a panel of industry leaders.

These judges included author Sheline Permaloo, founder and executive director of Peach 20/20, Peter Martin, chief executive of Umbrella Training, Adele C. Oxberry, and BBQ chef and writer, Melissa Thompson.

CEO and founder of BIH, Lorraine Copes, said: “These awards are the beating heart of our mission to celebrate and uplift hospitality talent across the UK. This year has shown just how powerful collaboration can be – from partners and sponsors to our wider community, all coming together to champion creativity, resilience, and innovation.

“We’re proud to shine a light on those making an impact today, while inspiring the next generation to shape an inclusive and thriving future for our industry.”

BIH is a not-for-profit that was founded in 2020 by Lorraine Copes, with the aim of increasing race equity within the hospitality, food and drinks trades. It does research, funds initiatives to empower its community and partners with organisations that promote inclusivity.

The winners for all 15 categories are:

Individual Awards:

Chef of the Year: Nina Matsunaga - The Black Bull Inn, Sedbergh

Rising Star: Eron Mibo - Tales and Tails UK

Writer of the Year: Angela Zaher - Food Writer

Wine Professional of the Year: Leona De Pasquale - Camellia and Vine

Beverage Innovator of the Year: Sherwin Acebuche - Tarsier Southeast Asian Spirit

Head Office Impact: Gina Knight - Flat Iron Steak

Industry Icon of the Year: Tevin Tobun - Founder of ROUTD and GV Group

Cuisine Awards:

African Food: Khadim Mane - Little Baobab

Caribbean Food: Nikki Whyte - Patois

East and Southeast Asian Food: Kaneda Pen - Mamapen

South Asian Food: Kanthi Thamma - The Spice Circuit

Middle Eastern Food: Jad Youssef - Lebnani Restaurant

Business Awards:

Bar/Pub of the Year: Deano Moncrieffe - Hacha Bar

Brand of the Year: Hot ‘N’ Juicy Shrimp LDN

People’s Choice:

People's Choice Person of the Year: Emanuele Mensah - The Connaught Bar

People's Choice Restaurant of the Year: Sham Mahabir - LIMIN SOUTHBANK